Bollywood Dance

The Term “Bollywood”

The term Bollywood was created by combining two names, Bombay (the city now called Mumbai) and Hollywood. Bollywood based in Mumbai (Bombay), is India’s and the world’s largest film industry in terms of the number of films produced, and also the number of tickets sold each year.

The Evolution of Bollywood

The style of dancing in earlier Bollywood films was based on Indian Classical Dance or Folk Dances from various parts of India. These dances included the classical art forms of Kathak and Bharata Natyam.

In the late 50’s & 60’s group dances began to evolve in Bollywood films & choreographers started managing larger groups of dancers, with influences from folk dances.

Currently Bollywood Dance is still influenced by Western culture, perhaps even more so today than when it began. Elements include the use of frequent costume and location changes during dances, as well as the use of larger dance troupes. And the movements have become more bold & extroverted to capture the audience’s attention. The Evolution of Bollywood Dance is a process that is entirely Indian and yet cross-cultural at the same time.